by Zoe Reid
God, she was relentless.
“No,” I said, sitting back down.
She smiled, pleased that she’d won. For the rest of the time until breakfast, we watched the news cycle about the storm and other current events. I glanced at the clock every few minutes, knowing that I’d have to see Sean soon while I looked a mess.
Again, I wondered why I cared.
I eventually excused myself to the bathroom to at least brush my teeth. I smoothed down my hair into a messy bun and pulled the sash around my waist tighter. Looking in the mirror, I didn’t look terrible. Sure, I could use some lip gloss, but that would alert Mom about my incessant need to impress Sean.
Walking by the guest room, Adelle still wasn’t up. I didn’t bother her, knowing how cranky she got when she didn’t wake naturally.
I headed downstairs, my stomach a ball of nerves. I hated that I felt this way, but it was thrilling at the same time. At the very least, my little crush made my life a little less boring, especially since we were housebound for the day.
In the dining room, Mom was already seated at the head of the table. Dad and Sean stood by the side table, pouring themselves some coffee. Flecks of snow clung to Sean’s messy hair, and when he looked at me, my knees turned to jelly.
“Morning,” I said quickly, walking past them.
“We’ll be sure to have Mary run into town to fill up your kitchen,” Dad said. “When the storm is over, of course.”
“There’s no need,” Sean said. “I can do it myself.”
“I insist that you give me the receipt then,” Dad said.
“Will do,” Sean said.
Dad kept Sean’s attention for most of the meal. We were about finished when Adelle and Gavin joined us.
With Adelle by my side, she distracted me enough, so I wasn’t so preoccupied with Sean. The longer he sat across from me, the harder it became.
And I wondered if I should just get him out of my system.
Chapter 7
Sean
“Let’s all head out to the annex to get the rest of the decorations,” Paul suggested.
I patted my mouth with a napkin, careful to get all of the crumbs out of my beard. As much as it kept my face warm, it was difficult to maintain. Normally, I didn’t care what I looked like, but Brooklynn changed that. And the way that Mrs. Turner cut glances at me, I wanted to try to stay on her good side.
“There’s more?” I asked. I’d sorted at least a half-dozen boxes in the garage.
“My wife has accumulated quite a collection over the years,” Paul said with a smile.
Mrs. Turner smirked. “With a nine-thousand square foot house, there’s a lot of ground to cover.”
“You don’t have to decorate every inch of it,” Gavin said.
“How about you help us?” Paul asked his son.
“Me?” Gavin said, slightly shocked.
I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. It appeared that neither of Paul’s kids was aware of hard-work. Sure Brooklynn helped with the lights, but she’d never be able to keep up with the likes of me. That took years of practice.
“Yes,” Paul said. “It’s not as if we have anything better to do this morning.”
“I had some phone calls…” Gavin started.
“Nonsense,” Paul said. “Those can wait. Besides, I remember when the both of you liked to help decorate for the holidays. Where is your Christmas spirit?”
“I wouldn’t mind helping,” Adelle joined in.
“Me neither,” Brooklynn added quickly.
Paul clapped his hands together. “Wonderful. Let’s get started then.”
The three of us stood up and headed out. It was hard to keep my eyes away from Brooklynn. Even after just waking up, she looked prettier than ever.
The annex building was a hike away from the house. At least it felt that way with the snow drifts and the flakes pelting us on the way. The building looked more like a barn, and I wondered if this property was a farm at some point. There was enough land to sustain one.
“How are we supposed to get the boxes to the house?” Gavin asked, yelling over the gusts of wind.
“There’s a sled in there, remember?” Paul said.
“He’s going to have a heart-attack if he tries to pull something in this snow,” Gavin said to me.
“I should be able to manage,” I said.
Gavin’s mouth twisted. “What am I? A statue?”
“I meant no offense,” I said. “I just—”
“You thought I was a rich kid who sat at a desk all day,” he said, smiling. “Most people do.”
“Again, I meant nothing by it,” I said.
Paul was ahead of us, trekking through the snow as if he were on a mission. I supposed he wanted to get back to the house before we were buried alive.
“Before joining the company, I took a year off after college,” Gavin explained. “It was the only condition of taking over the business. I knew I’d never be able to do anything else again, so I took advantage.”
“Did you go on vacation?” I asked, fully expecting him to have partied the entire year. If I had that much money, I would have done the same.
“Not really,” he said. “Throughout the years, I connected with a lot of the workers at the company. They’re hard-working, like my grandfather who built it from the ground up. So I went to different places around the world and helped others. I built houses and dug wells for those who were in need.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. My reaction caused him to laugh.
“Not what you expected.”
“Not at all, but I like you more for it.” It was the truth. These people weren’t who I expected, but they did give me a paycheck. I’d have to keep somewhat of a distance if I wanted to keep my job.
Once we reached the barn, Paul started for the back. Gavin hooked his thumb at me, and I followed him to the side of the building.
“Dad’s getting the sled. I hope this is the only trip we have to make. I’m freezing my balls off out here.”
I pointed at the wall where several pieces of equipment hung. “There are some gloves over there.” My hands were calloused from all the manual labor I’d done over the years. I guessed Gavin’s nice smooth ones were going to be pretty chewed up by the time we made it back to the house.
Gavin found two pairs and tossed a pair to me. I shoved my hands into them before starting on the boxes.
Thankfully, Paul said we were going to make only one trip over today. The rest could wait until after the storm. He grabbed five boxes of decorations, stating that that would keep me busy for the day. Once the snow cleared, we’d be able to come back and get more.
We made it back to the house in under an hour. Going into the room with the largest tree, we placed all the boxes on the ground.
“Thanks for your help,” I said.
“Do you think we’re going to let you do this alone?” Paul asked.
Brooklynn and Adelle offered before, but I was sure that was out of courtesy. Though it would be nice to spend the day with her under the guise of doing work.
“I can do it,” I said.
“I know you can,” he said. “But we want to. Right, son?”
“Dad, I need to make phone calls. I can come by afterward,” Gavin said and then scooted out of the room.
“Oh well,” Paul said. “Let me go get the girls.”
Within ten minutes, the entire Turner family, minus Gavin were in the sitting room. Brooklyn changed into another one of those sweater dresses with leggings that fit her legs like a glove. A thin brown belt cinched around her, accentuating her small waist. The curves of her body were more noticeable.
I turned around, not wanting to ogle her and peered up at my canvas. The naked Fraser Fir reached up toward the ceiling, baring herself and waiting for us to decorate.
“Mary, you will start on the foyer,” Mrs. Turner said to the housekeeper.
“Paul, please help me with taking this box to the foyer. I want to s
tart on the staircase.”
“Adelle and I want to do the tree,” Brooklynn said, clapping her hands excitedly. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
Mrs. Turner eyed her daughter. “You can separate the baubles, but Sean will be climbing the ladder, understood?”
She was talking to her daughter, but I nodded to give her peace of mind. I wasn’t about to let Brooklynn break her neck on my watch.
“Ohh, pretty snow globes,” Adelle said, picking a large one up from a box. Bubble wrap fluttered to the floor at her feet.
“Those go in the Great Room,” Brooklynn said.
“I found my job!” Adelle said, digging into the box for more.
Brooklynn peered over at me, and I pretended not to care that she and I were about to be alone.
I waited until everyone had left the room before I went over and grabbed the ladder that was set up across the room. It was a good thing I brought it inside the day before; I couldn’t imagine lugging it through the blizzard.
“Do you have a topper for the tree?” I asked. “It’s best to start with that.”
“Dad usually lets me put it on the tree,” Brooklynn said sadly.
I turned to her, not wanting to offend her or go against Mrs. Turner’s wishes.
Her face split into a smile. “Just kidding. Daddy would never let me up that high.”
“Oh,” I said, chuckling.
“You should have seen your face,” she said.
“You got me,” I said.
“The topper is here,” she said, pulling out the expensive-looking porcelain angel. Our hands brushed against each other as she handed it off. Our eyes locked for a moment too long. She licked her lips, and my gaze dropped to them. I wished she wouldn’t do that. She drove me crazy in the best possible way.
The angel was lighter than it looked but the robes around the ethereal ornament were exquisitely decorated.
“This is really beautiful,” I said.
“What do you use for a topper?” she asked, stepping closer to me.
I started to step back before I bumped into a box. A slow smile crept across her lips as she reached out to touch me.
Seconds away from telling her this wasn’t a good idea, she moved her hand passed me, reaching instead for the box.
I moved away and adjusted the bulge in my pants.
Get it together, man. Paul would definitely fire me if he saw my arousal for his daughter.
“This helps,” she said, handing me a metal piece shaped like an upside-down cone. “Just slide it right in here.” She touched my hand again, slowly moving the piece into the bottom of the angel. I didn’t miss the sexual innuendo. With the cone inside, it appeared that the angel would be a little more stable on the top branch of the tree.
“Thanks,” I said, turning away from her. This was going to be a long day.
Time flew by as Brooklynn and I decorated the tree. We barely stopped except for cocoa and lunch. Wanting to get as much done as possible before I had to plow again, I pushed on. I didn’t even notice how dark it got outside before Mary called us in for dinner.
Throughout the day, Brooklynn was shameless in her flirting. If her parents weren’t home, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from throwing her onto the couch and fucking her right there.
For a twenty-one-year-old, she was a spit-fire and turned me on like never before. She was confident, which I guess came from the silver spoon in her mouth.
I had to remind myself that I was the help and I couldn’t touch her. Ever. That didn’t stop me from fantasizing every time she bent over a box to get more ornaments.
After dinner, I headed off to the guest house. The air outside refreshed my mind as I tried to clear Brooklynn from my head. I only hoped that tomorrow, she’d realize how boring it was flirting with the help and move onto something else to keep her occupied.
But for some reason, I doubted that would happen. Brooklynn seemed as fixated on me as I was with her. What else could we do other than give into our feelings?
I let out a big sigh and adjusted myself knowing that even though I was freezing, there was a cold shower waiting for me at the guest house.
Chapter 8
Brooklynn
The next morning, I woke to a pitch-black room. I moved my covers aside, expecting to see the blue light from my alarm clock telling me the time. Instead, I saw nothing. I grabbed my phone, knocking it to the ground. The screen shined up at me from the floor, and I squinted as the bright light nearly blinded me.
I cursed and picked up the phone to see what the hell was going on. It was six in the morning. Even without the gusty wind outside, I still woke up early. This snow storm was seriously messing with my head.
Turning on the flashlight app, I checked my alarm clock. It was plugged in.
Across the room, there was no flashing light from my computer.
Shit! The power was out.
I noticed a chill in the room. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but with the frigid temperatures outside, we couldn’t be without power for too long before it started to plummet inside the house.
I wondered if Dad was up and if he knew about the situation.
I stumbled down the hallway. It was much harder to maneuver in the house when it was so dark that not even the sconces in the hall could guide me. I turned on my flashlight on my phone again so I wouldn’t bang into something.
I made it to Mom and Dad’s room without too much trouble and lightly knocked on the door.
There was a shuffling sound before Dad opened the door.
“What is it?” he asked, bleary-eyed. “Turn that off.”
“Sorry,” I said, moving the flashlight away from his face. “The power is out.”
Dad cursed.
“What is it?” Mom called from inside the room.
“Don’t worry about it, dear,” he said. “I’ll take care of it. Go back to bed.”
He closed the door behind him, and I took a few steps back into the hall.
“You might want to check on Sean,” I said.
“You’re right,” he said. “The guesthouse won’t be able to sustain no heat as well as this house can. I’ll be right back.”
Standing in the hallway, I felt utterly helpless. Daddy would probably come back and need wood for the fireplace. Since I wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon, I wanted to help.
Coming down the main stairwell, I felt the chill much more in the open space, clinging to the windows that looked out over the front lawn. Without power, the effect forced a shiver down my spine. How long had the power been out? I hoped that Sean wasn’t freezing in the small guest house.
I walked into the kitchen and opened the basement door. I wandered down the steps, each of them creaked under my weight. This was the only part of the house that wasn’t finished, and if I was honest with myself, it always gave me the creeps. I rarely traveled down there since I never needed to, but I was aware of where the wood for the fireplace was.
The light from my phone threw shadows across the room. I blinked a few times, keeping the shadows from forming something sinister that would surely terrify me.
I made it across the cellar to the wood stack. Placing my phone on top of the pile, I found a few smaller pieces and put them aside. I knew I wouldn’t be able to take many of the larger pieces so coming up with several smaller ones might prove my worth.
Daddy would be proud of my initiative.
I was about to start heading upstairs when I heard voices coming from the kitchen. Sean’s voice seared through me like a hot poker.
I moved my hair off my face and called up to them. “I’m down here!”
“Brooklynn?” Daddy said.
They banged down the steps much harder than I did.
“Yeah,” I said, waving my flashlight.
Both Daddy and Sean shielded their eyes.
“You don’t need to do that,” Daddy said, coming up beside me. He squeezed my arm. “We can take these up.”
<
br /> My cheeks burned. It was a good thing that there wasn’t any light in the room. “I’m an independent woman. I can handle carrying up some wood.”
Daddy laughed. “Of course you can.”
“Hold out your arms,” Sean said. “Let me know when the weight is too much.”
I did as he asked and he grabbed the smaller pieces of wood, placing them in my arms. Even though the beam of the flashlight pointed at the ceiling, I was able to see his face when he stood in front of me.
At first, I thought I imagined things, but every single time he placed a piece in my arms, our eyes locked. With his beard masking his lips, I couldn’t tell if he was smiling or not.
Butterflies erupted in my stomach when his hands grazed over my arms. There were several times where his hands lingered a little too long. If I wasn’t sure about his attraction to me before, this proved it.
If Daddy wasn’t in the room, I’m not sure what would happen between Sean and me. As much as it terrified me, my mind ran wild with possibility.
“I think that’s good,” I said, a little breathless.
Sean nodded and moved to the side. “I’ll hold the light for you.” He grabbed my phone and gently touched my arm, leading me to the stairs. He shined it up the stairs so that I wouldn’t trip.
Once I reached the top, I thanked him. It wasn’t until I heard his shuffling steps toward Daddy before I could breathe again. My heart hammered in my chest. Since when did an innocent and friendly gesture stir something inside of me like everything Sean did?
Inside the sitting room, Mary was already there, opening up the fireplace. With the Christmas tree in the corner, it was the perfect place for all of us to congregate while Daddy figured out how to get the power back on.
“Good morning,” Mary said when I entered.
“Morning,” I said. “Where do you want this?”
She pointed to the rack next to the hearth. After dropping the wood into the stand, I dusted the slivers of wood from my robe.
“Do you need any help?” I asked mostly out of courtesy. I had no idea how to start a fire. In my life, I’ve never needed that information.